Middle East

Trump Says Diplomacy With Iran Still Possible
Trump Says Diplomacy With Iran Still Possible

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday diplomacy remains an option with Iran, even as Washington ramps up its military presence in the Middle East and warns that the situation remains volatile. In an interview with Axios published Monday, President Trump said Tehran has signaled a desire to engage in talks, describing repeated outreach from ...

Israel Prepares to Seek New Security Pact With U.S., Report Says
Israel Prepares to Seek New Security Pact With U.S., Report Says

Israel is preparing to enter talks with the administration of President Donald Trump on a new decade-long security agreement, signaling a strategic shift in how it seeks to secure American support, one that prioritizes joint military projects over direct financial aid, according to a report by the Financial Times on Tuesday.  The discussions, ...

U.S. Intelligence Assesses Iran’s Leadership at Its Weakest Point Since 1979
U.S. Intelligence Assesses Iran’s Leadership at Its Weakest Point Since 1979

U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran’s ruling establishment is facing its most fragile moment in decades, as President Donald Trump receives multiple intelligence briefings indicating that the government’s grip on power has reached its weakest point since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, according to reports cited by the New York ...

London Based Persian TV to Air 'Truth' About Iran Protests Despite Threats
London Based Persian TV to Air 'Truth' About Iran Protests Despite Threats

Journalists at the Persian-language TV station Iran International in London have been working flat out, vowing to "show the truth" about the protests in Iran, despite threats against them and their families. The private broadcaster, housed in a heavily secured building in west London, was labeled a "terrorist" organization by Tehran in 2022, ...

U.S. Delegations Meet in Jordan on Lebanon-Israel Relations as Karam Floats Tel Aviv Talks
U.S. Delegations Meet in Jordan on Lebanon-Israel Relations as Karam Floats Tel Aviv Talks

The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee convened in Jordan on Monday to discuss the steps needed for a sustainable peace between the two countries as former ambassador Simon Karam expresses further willingness for direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.  On Sunday, Simon Karam, Lebanon’s ...

Qassem Warns Hezbollah May Intervene If Iran Is Attacked
Qassem Warns Hezbollah May Intervene If Iran Is Attacked

Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, delivered a speech amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran on Monday, stating that any attack on Iran would also target his group, and warned that any new war on the Islamic Republic would ignite the region. On the question of Hezbollah’s engagement in a conflict scenario, Qassem left ...

Khamenei Issued No Mercy, 'Shoot to Kill' Orders
Khamenei Issued No Mercy, 'Shoot to Kill' Orders

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered Iran's Supreme National Security Council to suppress the protests on January 9 by using "any means necessary," The New York Times reported on Sunday, citing two officials familiar with the matter.  According to the officials, security forces were then deployed to the streets with ...

Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence
Rubio Praises Iraq’s Detention of ISIS Members, Warns Against Iranian Influence

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday praised the Iraqi government’s “initiative and leadership” in accelerating the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists to secure facilities inside Iraq. According to a U.S. Department of State press release, Rubio held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani in light of recent ...

U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East
U.S. Launches Regional Air Readiness Drill in the Middle East

The United States will conduct a multi-day air readiness exercise across the Middle East, aimed at demonstrating the ability to deploy, distribute, and sustain combat air capabilities throughout the region, according to a statement issued Sunday by U.S. Central Command, as the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region ...

After Maduro: The Challenge of Dismantling Hezbollah in Venezuela
AnalysisAfter Maduro: The Challenge of Dismantling Hezbollah in Venezuela

After U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on January 3, Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed that Washington would uproot Hezbollah and Iranian influence in the South American country. “We are not going to have a country like Venezuela in our own hemisphere, in the sphere of control and the crossroads for ...